Electric switch.



F. E. CASE.

BLEGTBIU SWITCH.

APPLIGATIOR nun 1m. 11, 1903.

953,021 Patented Mar.29; 1910.

WITNESSES: INVENTUR FRANK .22 CASE. 9 1m; MQM

AITT'X -FBANK 11]., CASE, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW

PATENT OFFICE.

YORK, ASSIGNOR T GENERAL ELECTRIC GOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEV T YORK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed January 1 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910. 1, 1905. Serial No. 410,321.

; -.To all whom it may concern.-

QBeit known that I, FRANK E. Case, a citig zienof the United States, residing at Schenectedy, county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Electric Switches, of which tic following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and more particularly to switches used on electric cars and locomotives to open and close the main circuit through the motors and has for its object the simplification and improvement of the switches used for this purpose.

On electric cars and locomotives requiring heavy currents to operate them it 1s customary to control the current through the, motors by means of power actuated switches or contractors mounted beneath the car and usually electrically actuated and operated from a master controller in the motormans cab. An electrically-actuated circuit-breaker is connected in series with motors ay be inspected and re aired. Two

switches'are therefore require in the mo-- tormans cab, and opening the main circuit to permit-inspection of the devices beneath the fioorof the car requires the operation of the control switch for opening the circuitd breaker and also-the operation of the main switch for cutting off current from the Cir cult-breaker.

Inlcarrying out in invention, the switch 3 in gisystcm is simpli cd by consolidating the mam-switch the circuihbrcaker setting and tripping switch in one structure so that -by the operating handle ofthe main switch,

the main switch and the circuitebreaker are" connected in series and are both controlled preferably in such a manner that the circuitbreaker opens or closes before the corresponding movement of the main switch.

1 This result may be secured by any suitable connections between the -main switch and the circuit-breaker, but preferably by making the operating handle of the main switch control the operation'of the power actuated circuit breaker by acting as a control switch for the control circuits of the electricallyactuated circuit-breaker while if some other source of power is used to actuate the circuit breaker some suitable control device is connected to the-operating handle. In the preferred construction, the cooperating control contacts for the circuit-breaker are mounted on each side of the operating handle of the main switch in such a manner that when the handle is moved in one direction to 0 en the main switch the trip ing coil of tie circuit-breaker is energize to open the circuit-breaker before the main switch opens, so that the circuit-breaker takes the arcing as the circuit opens, while a. movement of the operating handle in the v other direction to close the main switch breaker and closes the;circuit-breaker after the main switch is closed.

My invention will best be understood in connection with the accompanying drawing showing one of the manyforms in which the invention may be embodied, and which is a diagrammatic representation of the motors of an electric car connected to a trolley through a standard electrically-uctuated cir cuitbreakcr and a main switch constructed according to my invention.

s shown in the drawing the motor 1 is connected in series with the fixed and movable contacts 2 and 3 of a standard circuit breaker provided with a blow-out coil 4 mounted adjacent the contacts to disrupt the are formed when the circuitis o ened. The contacts are held in engagement )y means of a latch- 5 mounted in the path of the armature Got an overload coil 7 which is con- ;nectcd in series in the circuit and is calibrated to draw its armature int-o engagement with the latch and trip the circuit-breaker in case of excessive overload. The circuitenergizes the closing coil of the circuitbreaker is closed by means of a closing solenoid 8 energized from a control circuit and having its core connected tothe movable contact 3, and is trip ed by hand by means of a trippingsolenoid 9 having an armature 1O drawn into engagement with the armature 6 to trip the latch 5 when the tripping solenoid is energized from the control cir cuit.

The main circuit between the circuitbreaker and the trolley is opened and closed by means of a main switch comprising'a base-plate 11 on which is mounted a movable arm 12 havin ating with a fixed contact 14 mounted on the base 11 and connected to the trolley or third rail shoe 15. The movable arm 12 is pro vided with lugs 16 and 17 and with a catch 18 en agedby a spring-pressed latch 19 to hold t e main switch closed. The movable arm 12 is pivotally mounted on a stud 20 911 which is also mounted a rocking operating handle 21 having one lug 22 connected through a spring 23 to the lug 16 on the movable contact, and a second lug 24 for en gaging a pin 25 mounted on the lug 17 of the movable contact. The operating handle 21' also carries a tripping pin 26, which engages the latch 19 and presses it down out of engagement with the catch on the movable arm 12 when the operating handle has been moved to compress the spring 23 and bring the lug 22 near the lug 16, whereupon the switch flies open. The operating handle has a limited movement independent of the arm 12, since the lugs on the handle and on the arm form a lost motion connection which permits the handle to move out of engagement with the'lug 16 and into engagement with the in 25 and vice vei-sa without changing t 1e position of the movable arm 12, unless it is free to move in response to the pressure of the spring 23. The parts are so proportioned that when the switch is closed the spring 23 holds the handle in the position shown, with both control circuits open and the handle free ,to move against the s ring 23 far enough to close the circuit of t e tripping coil without aiiecting the movable contact of the main switch.

The construction thus far described is siib-. stantially the same as in the standard equip ment in which a main switch is connected in series with an electrically-actuated cir- Quit-breaker. .In accordance-with my inv-; ,t,ion, the circuit-breaker setting and tripping switch is eliminated by constructing the main switch so that it not only controls the main circuit through the motors but also controls the circuits throu h the closing and tri ping solenoids of t ecircuit-breaker. 'l his result may be obtained in many difierent ways but the preferred a movable contact 13 coopen construction is that shown in the drawing in which a set of control contacts are mounted on each side of the operating handle 21 in such a position that the continued movement of the main switch handle, after closing the main switch, closes the circuit .of the so e noid 8 and thereby closes the circuitbreaker, while the movement of the controlling handle in the other direction first compresses the spring 23 and closes the cow trol circuit through the tripping solenoid/ 9 to trip the circuit-breaker open, and afterward trips the main switch open. The control contacts may be of any suitable 'construction but for purposes of illustration I have shown the circuit of the closing solenoid 8 controlled by the fixed contact 27 mounted on the base 11 and cooperating with a movable sprin contact 28 mounted on the operating hanc le 21, while the trip ping circuit is controlled by means of a xed contact 29 and a cooper ating spring contact 30 so arranged that the movement of the operating Handle in a direction to open the main switch causes the yielding contact 30 to slide over the contact 29, thereby closing the trip ing circuit long enough to trip the circuit reaker and again opening the trippin circuit before the pin 26 engages the late 19 to trip the main switch. The yielding movable contacts 28 and 30 are connected through a cut-out switch 31 to the trolley and as long as the .cnt-out switch 31 is closed the control sys- 'tem for the cijcuit-breaker is operative regardless of th position of the main switch and the circuit-breaker.

The operation of the device is as follows: If the switch and the circuit-breaker are in the closed position, as shown in the drawing, and it is desired to cut oil the current from all the devices beneath the car, the operating handle 21 is moved toward the fixed contact 29. During the first part of its movement the spring 23; is compressed, produced on the movable arm 12, although the movable control contact 30 comes into engagement with the fixedcontact 29, thereby closing the circuit of the tripping coil 9 and opening the circuitbreakeizt As the operating handle continues its movement in the same direction the spring 23 is compressed, still more, and the yielding contact 30 moves away from'the fixed contact 29, thereby openin'gl the trip ping circuit. As the operating andle appreaches the limit of its movement the trippingpin 26 engages and depresses the latch 19, therebyreleasing the movable arm12 and leaving it free to be moved by the spring 23, which expands and o ens themain switch with a snag-action. e movement of the operating andle has therefore main circuit, the operating handle is moved first opened the circuit-breaker and then opened the main switch, thereby cutting oil" the current from the circuitbreaker as well as all the other devices connected to the main circuit and rendering them safe to handle. Whcn it is desired to close the to the. right, first lnringing the lug into engagement with the pin 25 to cansc the movable arm 12 and the contact 13 to move with the operating handle, then bringing the contacts of the main switch into engagement, and finally closing the circuit breaker by bringing the control contacts QT and 28 into engagcmcnt to close the circuit of the solenoid 8, this'tinal movement being permitted by a spring blade on which the contact i is mounted. The handle 21 is then released and the main switch is held closed by the latch 19.

My invention may be embodied in many other forms than that shown and described, and I therefore do not wish to be restricted to the exact form shown but intend to cover by the appended claims all changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secnre by Letters Patent of the United States,

1. The combination with a power operated switch and a manually-operated switch connccted in series, of controlling means for the operating switch actuated by said manually-operated switch during its opening and closinginovcment to open said power operated switch before said manually operated switch is opened and to close said 'ower operated switch after said manual y operated switch is closed. i

:2. The combination with a switch having main contacts and control contacts, of an electrically controlled power actuated switch ccmnected in series with said main contacts,

and control circuits for said latter switch connected to said control contacts to opcn and to close aid power actuated switch in definite sequence to the opening and closing of said first switch.

:l. in a switch, the combination with cooperating main contacts and a rocking opcrating handle for said. contacts. of cite set of control. contacts closed after the nrain contacts engage by movement of the handle in one direction, and another of control coir tacts chased before tho main ctmtacts sepa rato by movcnn nt of the handle in the other direction.

l. The, combinal ion with two switches connected in series, of an operating handle having a lost motion t'ttlllltt'llt'lil with one switch, tripping means for openingthe second switch, and means whereby said tripping means of the power operated means is energized bv movement of said handle to open said second switch prior to the opening of the first switch by said handle. I

5. The combination with two switches in series, of an operating handle? for the first. switch, electrically actuated closing means and tripping means for the second switch, and contacts on said operating handle for closing the circuit of the closing means after the first switch'closcs and of tho tripping means before the first switch opens.

t'. In an electric switch, the combination with relatively movable cooperating con tacts biased to separate, a latching device for holding said contacts in engagcn'ient, an operating handle connect at through a lost motion connection to one of said contacts and having a movement independent thereof when said contacts are latched in engagement, connections whereby said independent movement of said operating handle actnates said latching device to release said contacts, and cooperating auxiliary contacts actuated by said handle during its independentmovement. 7. In a switch, the combination with a fixed and a movable main contact, a rocking operating handle for said movable contact normally held out of operative osition for opening the switch, and a latch or the movable contact released by movement of thehandle to said operative position, of fixed and movable additional contacts closed and opened by said handle during its movement into operative position to open the switch.

8. In a switch, the combination with cooperating contacts and a rocking operating handle for said contacts, and yieldmg connections between said handle and one of said contacts to permit said handle to move imlcpcndentlv thereof, of a fixed additional contact on each side of said handle, and yielding additional contacts mounted on said handle to cooperate with said fixed contacts.

9. In a switch, the combination with fixed and movable contacts, a latch for holding the contacts in engagement, and an operating handle for the movable contact; yieldingly held ljlotwccn two operative positlons when the switch is closed, of additional contacts actuated by movement of the handle toward either operating position.

10. In a switch, the combination with fixed and movable main contacts, and a latch for holding said contacts in engagement, of a rocking operating handle mounted to move independently of the movable contact for a short distance when the switch is closed, and control contacts actuated by said handle during said movement.

11. In a switch, the combination with a, fixed contact, a movable member, a cooperside of said handle actuated by movement of on aid member, a latch for holding said the handle in either direction. 10 contacts in engagement, a rocking operating In witness whereof, I have hereunto set handle movable between two lugs on the my hand this 9th day of Jannarv, 1908i ating movable contact yieldingly mounted movable member, and a 5 ring between said FRANK Fl. IASE. movable member and S211 handle normally Witnesses:

holding the handle in contact with one In BENJAMIN B. HULL, of coiiperallng additlonal contacts on cam HELEN ORFORD. 

